Hatch frame and insulation supporting pan for refrigerator cars



V. E. WEST HATCH FRAME AND INSULATION SUPPORTING PAN FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Dec. 9, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed July 8, 1950 INVENTOR. VUf We, BY

V. E. WEST HATCH FRAME AND INSULATION SUPPORTING PAN FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Dec. 9, 1952 Filed July 8, 1950 gff I IN VYEN TOR. VCO'f 7766i,

aten'ted Dec. 9, 1 952 HATCH FRAME AND INsULA'rIoN SUPPORT- INGYPAN FORREFRIGERATOR CARS Victor E. West, Chicago, Ill.,'assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application July 8, 1950, Serial No. 172,652

6 Claims. (Cl. 105-377) This invention relates to railway refrigerator cars of the end bunker type, and particularly to easily removable means for supporting insulation up against the roof of the car and about the hatch skirt which is also supported in position by said means. Roofs for such cars are usually formed of a plurality of roof sheets which extend from side plate to side plate of the car, with the end roof sheets, which occur directly over the bunkers, vhaving hatch frames integrally formed therein about hatch openings through said roof sheets. This type of roof sheet and integral hatch frame is shown and claimed in application Serial No.v 123,758, filed October 26, 1949, now Patent No. 2,565,706, by Alfred L. Thompson and owned by my assignee. A roof sheet having integrally formed hatch frames therein has been found amply strong to support itself in the car roof structure without. the use of inside carlines and purlins, heretofore always thought necessary to support the common hatch frame and cover used in an ordinary roof sheet having hatch openings therein. Those inside carlines and purlins heretofore employed furnished ideal conditions for supporting means to hold insulation up under the roof and about the hatch frame. But due to limitations in the amount of material which can be pressed in a roof sheet about a hatch opening to form a hatch frame integrally thereabout without tearing, the inner wall of an integrally formed hatch frame, at present at least, cannot extend much more than a few inches below the general level of the roof. With carlines and purlins omitted, some means must be provided to support a skirt about the hatch opening and the required insulation up under the roof andabout the hatch skirt, and it is the principal object of the invention to'provide such means. i

`In application Serial No. 153,343, iiled April 1,1950, owned by my assignee, one means vfor so supporting the hatch skirt about the hatch opening, and insulation up against the roof sheets, is shown, which is an assembly of various pans, etc. for the purpose. Another object of the invention is to form said supporting means for each hatch skirt of a single sheet of material pressed into a certain form for attachment of the hatch skirt thereto, and arranged to be attached to the ordinary wood side plate along one end and to the ridge purlins extending between the bulkhead header tothe steel end of thecar at the longitudinal center thereof.

VBythis construction the support may be easily removed from the inside of the car whenever necessary, which is a further object of the invention.

Othervobjects and advantages of the invention will appear in the further description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a section transversely of the car through one hatch and the upper part of the adjacent side walls of a railway refrigerator car on line I-I, Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of Fig. l with the roof sheet removed.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 1...

Fig, 4 is a section online 4 4, Fig. 1.

Since the invention relates to the structureA of end bunker railway refrigerator cars, at and around the lhatchways, only one-half of an end roof sheet and ceiling structure, which includes a hatch, and the ,upper part of the car wall will be described, the other half of the roof, etc., being identical.

The endroof sheet, or lin lother words, the roof sheet adjacent the end of the car, is indicated at -I, one end of which rests upon the usual side plate 2 and is provided with a turned-down flange 3 at the end. Between the ridge 4 and eave of the sheetis integrally formed therein an upwardly pressed rectangular embossment comprising upwardly converging side walls 5, downwardly converging inside walls 6, with the upper edges of said walls;5 and 6 being connected by a downwardly inclined shoulder 1 which is of slight inclination so as to form a seat for the gasket of a hatch cover for closing the hatch opening 8. One side of this roof sheet l is provided with a downturned flange 9 which overlaps and rests upon the upper end of the steel end I0' of the car and the other Yside of said sheet is provided with an upturned flange Il adapted to abut against a similarly formed flange-I2 of the adjacent roof sheet and be overlapped by the seam cap I3, as is common. v

The car side walls comprise outside sheathing I5, the upper margin of which underlaps side plate 2, the spaced side posts I6, insulation I1 and inside wood side plate I8 secured indirectly to side posts I6. The end walls are of's'im'ilarconstruction, with-the exception of vertical posts which are eliminated, the end I0 extending between and beingsecured to the corner posts of the car.

In end bunker refrigerator cars, a bulkhead 20 extends transversely of the car from side to side thereof and spaced from and parallel with end wall l0 and adjacent inner wall of hatch 8. This bulkhead is provided with a header comprising Z members each having a portion 2l-2I disposed vertically and in abutting relation with overlapping flanges 22-22 extending laterally in the same direction from upper end of portions 2i-2l, and with flanges 23--23 extending laterally in opposite directions in the same planes so as to rest upon the top of bulkhead 2B. Flanges 23-23 terminate in reflanges 24-24 which abut and overlap the outer surfaces of the upper end of bulkhead 20 and are secured thereto in any desired manner.

At the longitudinal center of the car, directly under ridge 4, a downwardly facing channelshaped brace 30 is provided extending from the bulkhead header to the steel end and which provides a substantial center brace Vfor said b ulkhead. The lower outer corners of the flanges 3| and 32 of said brace are cut away, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, so as to overlap at the inner end flanges 23 and 24 of the bulkhead header and at the outer end the inner end plate 33. The inner end of flanges 3l and 32 are provided with short reiianges 34 and .35 respectively, which are secured in any desired manner to portions 2i- 2 1 of the bulkhead header. At the otherend of said brace 39, flanges .3 |.-.;32 are Aprovided with similar reanges 35?31 respectively, which are secured to the web .of .a channel 38 which in turn is welded to steel end I8.

The 'hatch skirt comprises a .single .sheet of material 4i) bent into rectangular form and Welded together at the meeting .-edges. VSaid hatch skirt is of a size to overlap the inside lwalls 6 of the hatch frames so .that said walls 6 extend downwardly with-in the :upper margins of .the hatch skirt.

The upper edge of said hatch skirt 43 is out.- Wardly flared so as to nt the Vjuncture of walls B and shoulder 'l -ofvt'he hatch frame. vInthe lower margin of each Wall ,of the skirt 4E! are formed outwardly pressed Yembossinents 4:1 for securing thereto the supporting sheet .42. Sup.-

porting sheet 42 is formed from Ya single sheet of material having --an `opening therein .defined Iby downturned flanges 43, which flanges .occur .in the same planes-as the outer `surfaces-:of embossments 4-l. Fastening means, `such as the bolts 44, secure all -embossments to -sheet 42. lIt will 'be noted'that the heads of said bolts lie v.vv-holly within the bounding planes .of 4said embossments so las to form no obstruction to materials ybei-ng loaded Vthrough the hatch `frame v4and skirt. The side of vsaid skirt 42 adjacent the-side 'wallof `the car yis provided vwith a downturned flange '45, which flangeis removably secured in -any Adesired manner toinner-'side'plate 48. The side of said sheet adjacent brace 3i) is inclined downwardly andterminates in a-flange 4B which'iis removably secured to iiange 3l of said l'brace 30. That-side of said sheet 42 vadjacent steelendlf isprovided with downturned iiange 41 which is Vlikewise removably secured to inner end plate33. Also-that side .of saidsheet 42 adjacent the bulkhead header is provided with downturned 4ange 48, removably zsecured 'to one of the 4iianges 2 4 `of saidheader.

From the above it-willhe lfp parent `that gsaid sheet `-42 forms `an enclosure about and supports the `hatch skirt up in position Vunder-the hatch frame of the roof sheet l. The insulation inthe roof is also supportedby said sheet -42-under the roof sheet I. 'Sheet 42 isgthus readily removable from the inside of the.car whenever necessary without disturbing the roof sheet, which lis a decided. convenience.

I claim:

l. For use in a railway refrigerator car having a roof sheet provided with a hatch opening, a hatch skirt adapted to lap the margins of said hatch opening and depend therefrom, and an integral hatch skirt supporting sheet having an opening therein, the margins of said last mentioned opening being secured to said hatch skirt, the periphery of said sheet being adapted for attachrnent to adjacent car parts.

2. In a railway refrigerator car having a roof sheet provided with a hatch opening, a steel end, a bulkhead header spaced inwardly from said steel end and aV brace extending from said header to Said Steel lend; a hatch skirt lapping the margins of said hatch opening, and an integral hatch skirt supporting sheet having an opening therein, the margins of said last mentioned opening being secured to said hatch skirt, the periphery of said hatch skirt supporting sheet being secured to said bulkhead header and said brace.

3.. In a railway refrigerator car having a roof sheet provided witha hatch opening, .a steel end, a bulkhead header spaced inwardly from said steel end, inner side and end plates', and a brace `extending from said header to said steel end; a hatch skirt lapping the margins .of saidv hatch opening, and a hatch skirt supporting sheet vhaving an opening therein, the marginscf said last mentioned opening being -secured to said hatch skirt, the periphery of said hatch skirt `supporting sheet being secured to said inner side and end plates, said bulkhead header and said brace.

y4. For use ign a railway refrigerator car lhaving a roof sheet provided with .la hatch opening, a hatch skirt adapted to lap the Amargins of .said hatch opening, and an integral hatch skirtsup- Yporting sheet having -an lopening therein, the margins of said last mentioned opening provided with Yflanges defining said opening, said flanges being vsecured to said -hatch skirt, lthe periphery of ysaid .Sheet Vbeing ,adapted 01" attac/hymen# to adjacent car parts. Y

4.5.. 'Fer .use `inte ,railway refrigerator serbes/ine ,a :roof Sheet provided v.with hatch opening', e haar .skirt ,adapted to lap .the ,margins p f said :hatch @peni-ne, and .an integral hatch Skirt .S9154 parting sheet having .an opening therein, the margins cf i said Vlast ,men-tiened `@peiling :previ-,ded `with ranges defining ,said opening, v.Said flanges being vsecured to the lower ,maire-111:9! saisi :hafh Skirt, the periphery .of said Sheetbeins .adapted for attachment to K adjacent car parts.

6. For use in a railway refrigeratorcar-having a ,roof sheet ,provided with `a hatch ,opening a hatch skirt Aadapted .to -lap :themargins `of said hatch `Opening and .having .outwardly lpressed spaced embossments therein, .and ahatch skirt supporting sheet having `an .opening ftherein, the margins of said last mentioned `ropening provided Ywith flanges dening `Said Opening, said flanges Ybeingsecured to said embossmentsthe periphery ,of said sheet'being adaptedy-for v,attachin ent to `adjacent car parts.

' A.VIGIOR #EL ,BJEEEE-ENQES QF-PED j'lhe n following vreferences are of record vin --the file vof this patentr kUNITED sTA'fr-fns PAITENTS Number Name Dete 2 ,100,129 rVS/"ilkpfl 'N0v.f23,1937 2,502,698 Blarming iApr.. 4, 195,0 

